In show of defiance, Maoists blow up 6 buildings

Maoists blew up six government buildings late on Wednesday in Aurangabad district of south-central Bihar and another two, including one belonging to a panchayat, in south-eastern Bihar.

The offensive came in protest against the killing of some of their top leaders at Chatra on March 28 by a rival faction, the Trititya Prastuti Committee (TPC). No casualty was reported because there was no one in the buildings.

The action was widely read as a show of defiance towards the presence in Patna of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general Pranay Sahay, who was visiting the state to review anti-Maoist operations.

The extremists left behind handbills reiterating that the CPI (Maoist) would not tolerate the alleged ‘TPC-police nexus’.

Maoists said they had targeted the Aurangabad buildings as the CRPF’s CoBRA (Combat Battalion for Resolute Action) was to be housed in them.

“The rebels apprehended that the buildings would be used against them,” police said.